The Community Associations Institute (CAI) is an international

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partic ...

and special interest group headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 60 chapters in the United States that asserts that it provides "education and resources to the volunteer homeowners who govern community associations", and provides petitions for legislative and regulatory beneficence for its members. Since CAI was founded in 1973, the organization has sought to be the people that build and service common interest developments (CIDs), in order to become a significant force in interest group politics in many states. According to Evan McKenzie, they are dominated by lawyers and property managers that have shaped legislative and

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

policy making to prevent meaningful regulation of CID activity, and to keep the discourse on such matters largely private. In the absence of legislative regulation or oversight perceived as meaningful to their objectives, the idea of residential private government took the shape advocated originally by developers through the

Urban Land Institute The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a nonprofit research and education organization with regional offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London. ULI advocates progressive development, conducting research, and education in topics such as ...

and the

Federal Housing Administration The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a United States government agency founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created in part by ...

, and later, by lawyers and property managers, through CAI.''Privatopia'', 121. Over the decades, CAI has worked to address concerns raised about the development industry by critics, such as, about professor McKenzie. Board and manager training classes and national certifications for core competency have been developed. Led initially by community managers Bill Overton and Rob Felix, over the last 20 years in particular, the Institute has shifted its primary focus from tasks related to asset management to creating a process that "Builds Community" and delivers positive customer service. McKenzie has been invited to participate in dialogue on this philosophy shift on more than one occasion.

References

Trade associations based in the United States Real estate industry trade groups Organizations established in 1973 Organizations based in Virginia Condominium organizations Real estate-related professional associations {{business-org-stub

See also

References